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Biden is from that part of the world, his staffers should know better. Interesting that the link also describes typos by the Santorum campaign, misspelling “Bemidgi, Minn.” as “Bimidji.” However, Santorum is not from Minnesota, and there is a “Beminji, Minnesota”. Bemidgi is just one letter, a g for a j, off of an actual place, both of those places being towns in a not too-close state. Misspelling “Rhode” with “Road” is an error of more significance, as Rhode Island is a State. In fact, Rhode Island was one of the original 13 colonies. Of course, traveling from Delaware to Rhode Island does require going through or around New York City, so that might have thrown the Vice-President and his staff off a bit.

Wow. I mean, wow. I’m experiencing that same moment from the Steve Martin movie The Jerk where Navin Johnson sees his name in the phone book for the first time and realizes…

“I’m somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity – your name in print – that makes people! I’m in print! Things are going to start happening to me now!”

So, if old boy gets more credit for his blog, do we get more credit for contributing to the lively and insightful comments on said blog? What about us, the 99%, who toil away in obscurity? How about our insipid and banal comments, do we get any credit for those? Where are our participation trophies?

I’ve never blogged per se, but I once had a science-based website with 3500 registered members and a busy message board averaging 700 posts per day. I was the sole person behind the screen, so to speak. It’s like being a dairy farmer – you can’t be away more than 12 hours at a time.

Of course, our professor probably has a dozen young impressionable interns, if you know what I’m saying (cough, lewinsky, cough), but still…. I can post, or not, or go away, or stay, or… I do not envy the man his blog duties and feel that every blogger ought to be placed on suicide watch.

The article about farmers in NY responding to the warming temperatures by altering what crops they plant reminds me of a blog post written by Milton Friedman’s son, David, several months ago (linked below).

The gist of it is that even if we stipulate that the global warming fear mongers are right about temperatures rising a few degrees over a century, there’s no reason to believe that it will be a net negative for humanity. The fear mongers just assume it will be catastrophic for the entire human race.

Friedman argues that some areas of the world will be winners and some will be losers. But because the change is expected to happen very gradually over a long period of time, then it is logical to believe mankind will mostly learn how to adapt and go on.

The disdain and scorn Geithner share with the committee is palpable and painful to watch. A real extra insult is his smirk. These people need to be removed as soon as possible. Isn’t there a campaign ad in there? Here’s the President’s budget expert: “We don’t’ have a solution and don’t want yours.” Rather reminds me of something that might be said by someone auditioning for the part of the ex-wife.

The Other McCain objects to Newt on account of his previous divorces. Wikipedia* tells us that Newt’s first wife was also his high school geometry teacher, and was 26 when wed to Newt, while he was 19. Are you sure you want to get excited about that divorce? His second wife married him at the height of his political ascendency, and divorced him on the way down. Marriage is a sacrament of the Church: good marriages don’t happen by accident. There are plenty of divorced people out there. Are there those ready to say that people with more than one divorce on to their credit are too morally unstable to be in office? Well how about vote for office holders? What about those who don’t marry, or have extra-marital affairs? Clinton violated the vows of his marriage, committed perjury, and still couldn’t get convicted by the United States Senate, and people want to pillory Newt for two divorces?

I like it that Newt would abolish the EPA. He’ll go after the Department of Education, won’t he? If on his first day, he eliminated Affirmative Action, just think what that would do for our economy!

*While Wikipedia is not the most authoritative site on the Web, concerned parties do get to dispute whether the facts are presented. I didn’t see objections to the entry on Newt’s marriages.

I know enough about ADHD and Ritalin to know that “Spengler” is talking through his hat. Over-prescribed, yes. Worthless or harmful, no. When people bloviate on subjects about which they are ignorant, they lose their credibility.

Also, not all Waldorf schools prohibit computer use at home. It is true, however, that public schools have squandered my money and yours purchasing computers for no reason. Before I realized the futility of such efforts, I was on a “technology committee” for the ICSD. When I pointed out that the most useful thing a school could do was make sure students could touch-type, I was relegated to the lunatic fringe, along with the “keyboarding” teacher.

I think being able to touch type is a Good Thing. Learning disabilities seem to only primarily in schools and forced learning situations. Yes, people have different skills, and some need more structure than others with coping with life, but “ADHD” seems more school related. There are some who absolutely thrive on being over-the-road truckers, with scenery changing at 75mph. Others would go crazy if forced to watch that scene in the windshield, day after day after day. Our schools are too inflexible, and seem intent on crushing any dissent while dousing any sparks of creativity.

Meanwhile, we require attendance until age 16 or 18. I say, make it 15. If the what the schools offer is so bland and boring that children quit, then we’ll finally look at what children, young adults really, are being forced to do. Has raising the age of mandatory attendance improved the quality of student going to university? I think not.

Ha. I have horrible puns to make about the “Road Island” thing, but “rode” would better suit them. What a depraved freak I am.

As to: [quote]. When do I get mine?[/quote]

I am a Santorum supporter (as you well know); you are a Newt supporter (as I well know). And apparently, The Real McCain knows. I say, good for you. You believe what you believe and stand by convictions. Who can really ask for more than that? (oh, sure, a sports post or two, but really!) Besides, I think the “apology” was implicit there. 😛

Professor Jacobson, you are falling for the gimmick that Robert Stacy McCain uses with other bloggers in order to keep up the hits on his blog. Mention another blogger, get his blog linked somewhere else. He doesn’t hide it, he advocates it, and I quit reading him because this idiosyncrasy.

McCain once made a post where he admitted that (his candidate at the time) Herman Cain was falsely smearing Perry about leaking the sexual harassment story to the press, but he thought it was great because it was effective politics.

Delighting in a smear that you know has no basis in fact? Stacy McCain – he makes Romney and Obama look classy in comparison.

During the recent economic boom, only 33 percent of applicants were claiming mental illness, but that figure has jumped to 43 percent, says Rutledge, citing preliminary results from his latest research.

His research also shows a growing number of men, particularly older, former white-collar workers, instead of the typical blue-collar ones, are applying.

The big concern about the swelling ranks is that once people get on disability, they’re unlikely to give it up and go back to work.

With the Bain Bail-out, Wall Street Bail-outs, Salt Lake City Olympics Bail-out and other pork, earmarks, etc., Romney sure knows how to get into Taxpayer’s wallets – while enriching himself and his friends handsomely.

The cost of Romneycare to taxpayers in Massachusetts: “Half of those people got insurance on their own. Others got help in buying the insurance.”
False. In fact, 98% of the additional people insured after Romneycare was passed have it paid for or subsidized by the federal government or Massachusetts government. Of the 412,000 additional people who had health insurance in 2010 who did not have it in June 2006 (pre-reform), only 7K of the 412K (1.7%) had unsubsidized health insurance. The rest were covered through Medicaid, Commonwealth Care, or a program of subsidized care for the unemployed.

The impact of Romney care on citizens of Massachusetts: Romneycare has increased the price of healthcare premiums for every citizen of Massachusetts. Premiums have increased by 55 percent since Mitt Romney became Governor, a rate 13 points higher than the national average and the third highest growth rate among the states.

“If something doesn’t break here, I am going to recommend to the president he recess appoint all these people, every one of them,” Reid added later. “It’s not unique. The power to recess appoint is in our Constitution. … And I repeat, if we don’t have some significant action during the next work period, I am going to ask the president – I mean, I can ask if I want to, and he doesn’t have to respond affirmatively – but I’m going to ask him to appoint them all.”